Marionette artist David Simpich says he had to be conscious of the lines he spoke during his last performances of “Great Expectations,” which ended Nov. 8 at the
Simpich Showcase Theatre. He had already begun studying the script for his original drama, “The Puppet Maker: A Story of Christmas,” which will begin its run
Wednesday, Nov. 18.
“I had to be careful not to have an overload (between the two shows),” Simpich said in an interview this week.
The Showcase is in Old Colorado City at 2413 W. Colorado Ave. “The Puppet Maker” will continue through Dec. 30. For information on dates, times and prices
and/or to make reservations, call 465-2492 or go to simpich.com.
Simpich first performed “The Puppet Maker” 10 years ago after spending more than a year writing the story, then designing and hand-making close to 20 marionettes
for it. “I had wanted to do something with the Nativity stories, but there was no concept or format that seemed right to me,” he said. “I kept thinking, 'Maybe
someday.' Then in 1997 he had the idea for a story about a puppet maker who was building a marionette nativity scene. I was really excited because I could present
the stories from Luke and Mathew in a format that's interesting.”
The show is one of 14 developed by Simpich for his one-man performances over the past 20-plus years. He and his wife Debby, the business manager, opened the
Showcase last May with the help of his parents (long-time character doll makers Bob and Jan Simpich) and their own children.